The city of Erie is now using the Internet as part of its plan to better collect more than $1.6 million in delinquent refuse fees.

An 88-page list of all delinquent garbage accounts greater than $100, as of Wednesday, is now posted on the city's website, www.erie.pa.us.

The list includes names of people delinquent on their garbage bills, the billing address, and the amounts owed.

Mayor Joe Sinnott said Thursday that the list will be updated every three months.

Sinnott said in December that the city was considering adding the information to its website, so that the public could view it. He believes posting the information might prompt some people to pay their bills quickly so that their names either do not appear on the city's website, or can be removed.

Delinquent garbage bills -- in the wake of a recent garbage fee increase -- have become a huge political issue at City Hall.

Many city residents have expressed outrage that their garbage fees were increased at a time when hundreds of customers refuse to pay their bills.

Sinnott and City Council members have said they will work together to find solutions.

Paul Vojtek, chief executive of Erie Water Works, has told Erie City Council that the city's total delinquencies, including accounts that have municipal liens filed against them, is $2.3 million, and that some customers have not paid their bills in more than a decade.

Erie Water Works handles billing and collection for garbage customers on the city's behalf.

Vojtek said that Erie Water Works received $55,500 in payments from delinquent customers in the wake of a Jan. 19 Erie Times-News story on the city's problems with delinquent garbage accounts.

A list of accounts that were delinquent at that time was posted at GoErie.com/garbagebills.

City Council approved the city's 2014 budget in December that increased garbage fees from an average of $48 every three months, or $192 per year, to $55 every quarter, or $220 per year.

KEVIN FLOWERS can be reached at 870-1693 or by e-mail. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/ETNflowers.